Theme: - "Pool Party" - The last word can precede "pool".
25A. Try : GIVE IT A WHIRL. Whirlpool.
31A. Track runner? : TROLLEY CAR. Carpool. Great clue.
46A. Removable engine : OUTBOARD MOTOR. Motorpool. Same as "carpool", isn't it?
63A. Pickup spot : BOX OFFICE. Office pool.
79A. Undeveloped ability : RAW TALENT. Talent pool.
96A. Certain trait carrier : RECESSIVE GENE. Gene pool.
110A. Pond prohibition : NO SWIMMING. Swimming pool.
121A. Unscrupulously competitive : DOWN AND DIRTY. Dirty pool.
Basic theme. The key word meaning in the original phrase mostly remains unchanged when pool is added. We don't often see words that precede/follow theme type on Sundays. They're mainly the early week domain. Not easy to get a "Go ahead" from Rich with this type.
So nice to see Pancho Harrison back. He was the very first constructor when we shifted to the L.A Times Daily Crossword. He and Barry Silk will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully Barry will come back to us in a few months.
So nice to see Pancho Harrison back. He was the very first constructor when we shifted to the L.A Times Daily Crossword. He and Barry Silk will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully Barry will come back to us in a few months.
Pancho Harrison (XWord Info photo) |
Across:
1. Keystone officer : KOP
4. Judicial seat : BANC
8. Frat house letter : SIGMA. Not DELTA, KAPPA or THETA.
13. Lowers oneself : STOOPS
19. Org. with a caduceus in its logo : AMA. Wiki says caduceus is "a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings." Hermes's staff.
20. 1847 novel with the chapter "What Happened at Hytyhoo" : OMOO. Easily guessable.
21. Rocking the stadium : AROAR
22. Chinese restaurant offering : HOT TEA. Chinese seldom drink iced tea, unless you're in Hong Kong, where Iced Lemon Tea is hugely popular.
23. Lacking benefits, perhaps : PART TIME. I thought this might be a theme entry.
27. Pakistani language : URDU
28. Collars : ARRESTS
30. "Spellbound" malady : AMNESIA. About this old movie?
34. Graduation hanger : TASSEL
36. Took a verse alone : SOLOED. OK, sang alone.
37. Travesty : FARCE
39. Romance novel emotion : LUST. Not LOVE, Splynter! Hope love finds you in the summer.
43. Mostly shaved style : MOHAWK. Hair style. Still remember the "Mohawk Guy"?
50. Oklahoma native : OTO
51. "Sorry, you __ me" : LOST
54. Suffix with proto- : ZOA
55. Minuscule part of a min. : NSEC
56. Mont. neighbor : IDA
57. Arcade pioneer : ATARI
59. Lowest points : NADIRS
61. MTV's parent company : VIACOM
65. Old auto named for an explorer : DE SOTO
69. Purina rival : IAMS
70. Pacino title role : SERPICO. I should watch the movie again.
72. Germinates : SPROUTS
74. Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-__ : TAVI
77. "Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it's __": Anthony Bourdain : A START. 6-letter partial.
83. Like some surprise endings : IRONIC
85. Sweater pattern : ARGYLE. Hi there, Santa!
87. Mythical servant : GENIE. Got via crosses.
88. Young Skywalker's nickname : ANI
89. Pickup at a stand : FARE
92. Rapa __: Easter Island : NUI
93. One of TV's Mavericks : BRET. Also via crosses.
95. Dockworker's org. : ILA
100. President, e.g. : LEADER
102. "Modern Family" daughter : ALEX. Gimme for Bill G, probably.
103. More agreeable : NICER
104. Sportscaster Ahmad : RASHAD
107. Bunch : PASSEL
114. "We're headed for overtime!" : IT'S A TIE
117. Really cool : AWESOME. Oh, TTP/PK, the lilies Boomer bought from Walmart are indeed not Tiger Lilies. They're Asiatic lilies. Your wife rocks, TTP!
120. Naysayer : ANTI
123. Orchestrator, perhaps : ARRANGER
126. Maroon : ENISLE. Not a word I use.
127. Coffee maker brand : BRAUN
128. KOA patron : RV'ER
129. Night school subj. : ESL
130. Sights along old Route 66 : MOTELS
131. Gelatin garnish : ASPIC. My grandma always had fried Tofu in her aspic.
132. Many millennia : AEON
133. ACLU issues : RTS (Rights)
Down:
1. On the fritz : KAPUT
2. Astrologer Sydney : OMARR. Learned from doing crosswords.
3. NBC-affiliated announcer in nine different decades : PARDO (Don)
4. AI game competitor : BOT. AI = Artificial Intelligence. I got via crosses also.
5. "__ dreaming?" : AM I
6. Deli order : NO MAYO
7. Compel by force : COERCE
8. Bacharach collaborator Carole Bayer __ : SAGER. Unfamiliar figure to me. She looks gorgeous.
9. Georgia O'Keeffe subject : IRIS
10. Bond issuer: Abbr. : GOVT
11. Podium tapper, at times : MAESTRO. I was picturing someone who's giving a speech.
12. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI
13. Phonies : SHAMS
14. "Chinatown" screenwriter Robert : TOWNE. Also an unknown figure to me. Wiki says he also wrote the first two Mission Impossible films.
15. The lord in "O beware, my lord, of jealousy!" : OTHELLO
16. Soulful Redding : OTIS
17. Prefix with scope : PERI. Used to be clued as "Persian fairy" in our old Tribune days.
18. Room next to la cocina, maybe : SALA
24. Oral Roberts University city : TULSA
26. Electrode shooters : TASERS
29. Pricey watch : RADO. I fail to see their appeal.
32. Reprobate : LOWLIFE
33. Nevada city on I-80 : ELKO. Not RENO.
35. Open __ of worms : A CAN
37. Former Calif. base : FT ORD
38. Belittles : ABASES
40. City near Syracuse : UTICA
41. Doomed Genesis city : SODOM. Also 43. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom : MOAB
42. Monorail transports : TRAMS
44. Conductor Klemperer : OTTO. Hello D-Otto!
45. Put-on : HOAX
47. Compact automatic weapon : UZI
48. Reverent : DEVOUT
49. Old AT&T rival : MCI
52. Salon sounds : SNIPS. Also 90. Did a salon job : RINSED
53. Implied : TACIT
58. Cellist's need : ROSIN
60. Twice penta- : DECA. Prefix for "ten".
62. Flier's option : AISLE. Boomer's choice.
64. Melee : FRACAS
66. Nimble : SPRY
67. Big name in dental care : ORAL B
68. Control __ : TOWER. Not FREAK.
71. Disneyland's county : ORANGE
73. Ring pair : TAG TEAM. Boxing ring. (Correction: Wresting ring. Thanks, Robert!)
74. Wonder Woman accessory : TIARA
75. Synthetic fiber : ARNEL. We see NYLON or ORLON more often.
76. NBC musical reality show, with "The" : VOICE
78. More accurate : TRUER
80. Geraint's wife : ENID
81. Shade of green : NILE
82. Go like crazy : TEAR
84. Consideration complications : IFs. Tricky clue for a little word.
86. __ mill : GIN
91. '60s pop singer Sands : EVIE
94. K thru 12 : EL-HI. Gluey entry.
97. Wide-open space : EXPANSE
98. Pastries made with choux dough : ECLAIRS
99. Switch add-on : EROO. Gluey entry. Hard to make clean Sunday puzzles.
101. Clio contender : AD MAN
105. Capital of Eritrea : ASMARA
106. Change course suddenly : SWERVE
108. To any extent : AT ALL
109. Trig ratios : SINES
110. Boy band with an acronymic name : NSYNC
111. Actress Stevens : INGER. Forgot. We had her before.
112. Explosive trial : N TEST
113. Lena Dunham HBO series : GIRLS
114. Footnote word : IDEM
115. __ avail : TO NO
116. Houlihan portrayer on "M*A*S*H" : SWIT (Loretta)
118. Finish shooting : WRAP
119. Decorative sewing case : ETUI. It's back!
122. Trade name letters : DBA (Doing Business As)
124. Classic roadster : REO
125. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. He's back too!
C.C.